Parking is provided to hospital employees at all of our campuses. However, employees are encouraged to exercise caution when parking their vehicles and exiting the lots to prevent personal injuries to others and damage to parked vehicles.

NO PARKING signs must be observed; violators may be towed at the owner’s expense. Security officers are in charge of the parking areas and will assist you if a need should arise.

Officers also are available to enforce the hospital traffic and parking regulations. Employees using the parking areas must secure a parking sticker for their cars from Security. Parking stickers should be displayed on the windshield of the driver's side.

“The prime spots should remain available for patients and visitors,” says Security Director Rich Witmer. “There are several employee parking areas at the Indianapolis campus, all marked clearly with yellow striping. Spaces marked with white striping is for visitors."

The entire campus is served by shuttle buses, which operate from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. They may be boarded at one of the shuttle shelters, or by calling 416-8725. Questions and concerns should be directed to Security at 528-5304.

New Indianapolis Campus maps are now available for ordering through the hospital Print Shop.The following maps are available in pads of 50:Cancer Center, Heart Center, Main entrance/Patient tower, Outpatient Center and Women's Center.

These multi-page maps are also available for order through the Print Shop:Staff/Physician Mapsand Full Campus Guide

To order:

Visit the Quick Links section on CROSS and click on "Print Shop Orders."

Select "Maps" under "Form Type" then click on "Search for Forms."

To preview a map before you order it, click on the map name in bold.

To order a set of maps from the print shop, choose "Order Forms from the Print Shop" to the right of the name of the desired map.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Medical services slated to relocate from Washington Square

BEECH GROVE, Ind. -- Residents here and on the near south side of Indianapolis will soon have a new health care option with Immediate Care Center-Thompson Commons.

The Center, located at 5210 E. Thompson Road (near Interstate 465 and Emerson Ave.), will open Tuesday, March 27, offering services seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The facility is relocating from its present location at 992 North Mitthoeffer Road at Washington Square, which closes 11 p.m., Monday, March 26.

ICC-Thompson Commons provides urgent care treatment by physicians – without an appointment – for illnesses and injuries, including diagnostic imaging and lab services. The facility features six exam rooms and two treatment rooms, and is staffed by 14 medical assistants, X-ray technicians and management.

“Immediate Care Centers offer accessible, economical medical care to patients, particularly for those with minor accidents and illnesses who don’t require a visit to a hospital emergency room,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer for Franciscan St. Francis Health, which acquired ICC operations in the Indianapolis area in late 2010.

“Together with Franciscan St. Francis, we are committed to provide mission-based compassionate care to families in Beech Grove and the many communities we serve,” said Michael D. Bishop, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the Immediate Care Centers.

ICC-Thompson Commons is located near Franciscan St. Francis’ newly expanded hospital at 8111 S. Emerson Ave. Patients in the area have other health care alternatives, including:

Beech Grove After-Hours Clinic, 2030 Churchman Ave., in the offices of St. Francis Medical Group Beech Grove Family Medicine.

Indy South After-Hours Clinic, 7855 S. Emerson Ave., Suite P, in the offices of St. Francis Medical Group Southport Family and Sports Medicine.

The After-Hours Clinics are open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Launched in 1981 by the Bloomington, Ind.-based Unity Physician Group, the four Immediate Care Centers collectively see about 100,000 patients each year. Each facility is always staffed by at least one physician and a highly trained staff committed to service excellence.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Changes are on the horizon at the Beech Grove campus immediately after the Emergency Department turns off the lights 7 a.m., Friday, March 16. The north side entrance to that area will be permanently closed. The hours of access to the Beech Grove building also will change after March 16. Visitors will not be permitted to enter between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The main entrance, which will be staffed by security personnel, will be open between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the week to accommodate visitors. Employees may enter there also, as well as through the double doors linking the Medical Arts Building to the hospital.

The primary entrance for outpatients seeking services, and visitors to Select Specialty Hospital, will be the west entrance facing Sherman Drive. Outpatient Rehab customers will continue to use the entrance on the north side of the hospital just across the street from the old Emergency Department parking lot.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Relationships often begin with a simple invitation. That is exactly how it began not long after the turn of the 20th century when clergy at the fledgling Holy Name Catholic Church and local citizens recognized there was a definitive need for a hospital in Beech Grove. They looked northward, far beyond Indianapolis’ city limits, and invited the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration to consider the possibilities.

Two Sisters made the trip by horse-drawn buggy from the St. Francis Convent in Lafayette in 1909. They met with Monsignor Peter Killian of Holy Name Catholic Church and looked at several parcels of land before selecting a site at the corner of Troy Avenue and Sherman Drive.

Together, the Sisters and Beech Grove got to work. By 1913, hammers were pounding, scaffolds were lifting steel and other materials, and it became clear that workers were involved in something much more than a bricks-and-mortar

In early 2007, we announced the consolidation of inpatient services and other clinical and support programs at Beech Grove to our Indianapolis campus at Emerson Avenue and Stop 11 Road. That campus – only seven miles away from Beech Grove – has been in operation since 1995. It was not an easy decision to make, but the reality was clear: Combining the two hospitals would enable us to operate more efficiently and strengthen our ability to deliver a level of care all of our patients deserve. project. They were building the healthcare future for Beech Grove. One year later, St.FrancisHospital – a fully modern medical facility – was opened to the public.

This transition has been under way for more than a year and it will reach its zenith on March 16, when all inpatient services will be in place at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis.

Our healthcare ministry continues to be embodied in our Franciscan values: Respect for life, Fidelity to our mission, Compassionate concern, Joyful service and Christian stewardship. These are the cornerstones of our mission. And these are the bedrocks on which our commitment is built on to respond to, shape and build the healthcare future for the people we serve.

Understandably, this is an emotional time for many Beech Grove residents and for our staff, many of whom have called the 1600 Albany Street “home” for decades.

For nearly a century, the hospital and its people have forged an endearing relationship with Beech Grove. The walls of

the hospital echo more than just history; they resound with the cycle of life. It is a place where newborns took their first breaths. Where healing, comfort and compassion were extended. A place of shared laughter, tears and prayers. Where new friendships forged and careers launched. And, yes, a place where earthly lives have ended.

It has been our privilege, pleasure and point of pride to have cared for generations in Beech Grove. We have grown together and shared much. We have been good neighbors.

As the Sisters were invited to begin a healthcare ministry in Beech Grove, we invite the people of this community to continue to accompany us on that journey for years to come.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Family Medicine Residency Program recently made the move from Beech Grove late last month and into an area with larger spaces and closer access to the Indianapolis campus.

The program consists of five directors and 20 residents. While they are now closer to and easily servicing Indianapolis Campus, there is still a team at Beech Grove until the consolidation in March.

“This location will better serve our patients, as the lab and many ancillary services as well as several specialists are very close by,” said Carrie Anderson, M.D., associate director of the program.

Previously, residency activities, such as noon conferences, were held in different parts of the hospital. Now, they are held in the same location as the office and residents at Beech Grove are able to join through video teleconference.

With new surroundings and new equipment, family residents are seeing patients in 27 exam rooms and three procedure suites. A conference room is available for education and support services. The new location has larger storage areas, expanded nursing stations and individual

spaces for the front office staff.

The St. Francis Family Medicine Center is located at at 5230-A building, Suite 250

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was Valentine’s Day 2012, and the day began with a sweetheart of a deal for employees and visitors at the Indianapolis campus.

At 7 a.m. that day, the doors to Brioche Dorée were opened to the public, serving up a wide range of food for every taste. The café, located near the surgery waiting area on the second floor, offers a varied menu in casual and fast-food French dining.

Brioche Dorée, which translates from French as “blond bread,” adds yet a new touch to the expanding Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis campus, said Sean McKenzie, director of Food and Nutrition Services.

Indeed. Most Brioche Dorée eateries are located in malls, international airports, town centers, universities and hotels. There are more than 450 restaurants operating worldwide, and it’s presence at St. Francis is unique in hospitals around the region.

“The idea of Brioche Dorée, which originated in France in 1975, was quite simply to blend casual food and French tradition,” McKenzie said. “It’s a perfect fit for our hospital and the hundreds of people we serve daily.”

When most of us move to a new home, we take off work or close the office, ask a friend or two to do the same. Life is in flux for days as we get by with the essentials of clean sheets on the bed and a coffee maker and toaster on the kitchen counter top. A lot of things can wait until later to be unpacked.

But when you move a hospital, certain things can’t wait, including patients needing care. For Franciscan St. Francis Health, a move of this scale isn’t completed overnight.

To keep hospital services uninterrupted during the transfer of all inpatient services, surgical services, and the emergency department from the Beech Grove to the Indianapolis campus, a committee of hospital directors and managers has met for more than a year leading up to the March move.

Early on, an independent consulting company helped the committee establish milestones for subcommittees, each addressing specific concerns, including: patient care, support services, IT and marketing.

Since the opening of the new patient tower and emergency room in April 2011, the move to the Indianapolis campus has been slow but steady; recent moves have involved the Breast Center, Endoscopy and Ambulatory Surgery, Volunteer Services and Service Excellence to name but a few.The moving process will ramp up considerably, however, over a two-week period in March, said Matt Pierce, R.N., clinical process manager.

“The final plans continue to evolve, and need minor adjusting,” he said, “and we continue to work closely with departments and units, which all have been helpful and cooperative throughout the process.”

Plans have required that the transition committee not only look at the move of patients and equipment but also consider staff coverage of the units and the supplies and staff for support services.

As for the transfer of patients, fewer is better, and the move plan calls for all new inpatient admissions to cease at Beech Grove on Monday, March 12. This will lower the number of patients needing to be transferred between March 12 and 16. Pierce estimates that between 40 and 50 patients will need to be taken by ambulance from Beech Grove to Indianapolis during this transition week.

BEECH GROVE, Ind. – Nearly a century of Franciscan St. Francis Health history and its impact within this community will soon be on display here for the public to view.

A Firm Foundation of Faith & Healing is the name of the photo exhibit which chronicles the mission and legacy of the hospital’s founding in Beech Grove in 1914 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.

The exhibit will be open to the public through March 10. The gallery is in the corridor of the main floor near St. Clare Chapel corridor of the Main (first) floor. Franciscan St. Francis – Beech Grove is located at 1600 Albany St.

“We were invited to establish a health-care ministry in Beech Grove near the turn of the century,” said Sister Marlene Shapley, vice president of Mission Services. “Two of our Sisters traveled by buggy from Lafayette – where a Franciscan hospital had been in operation since1876 – and with the help of local Catholic clergy found a location.

In 1914, the Sisters’ vision became a reality when St.FrancisHospital opened its doors with 75 patient beds and offering the latest medical technology available of that time.

“The hospital was founded on our fundamental belief that human needs should be met in a holistic manner,” Shapley said. “This mission has guided us for nearly a century of service to Beech Grove and south-central Indiana.”

The exhibit is a timeline of photos and other imagery. Visitors can stroll through the decades, seeing the faces of former Sisters, leaders, physicians, nurses and employees at work; the changing nature of medical care; and the myriad events which bolstered and further defined St. Francis’ growth at campuses operating today in Indianapolis and Mooresville.

“We encourage the public to visit us and enjoy images celebrating the dedication, humor, intelligence and expertise of those who worked here before us,” said Kelli Searles, director of Community Relations and Marketing, who has developed and overseen the project. “It is a celebration of our mission and a tribute to those many who have demonstrated that a hospital is more than just bricks and mortar.”

The exhibit was designed by Irongate Creative, an Indianapolis-based multimedia company.

The opening of the gallery sets the stage for the hospital’s consolidation of inpatient services and other programs at Franciscan St. Francis – Indianapolis (8111 S. Emerson Ave.), just seven miles south of Beech Grove. An expansion project has been under way at that campus since 2007 and is nearing completion.

INDIANAPOLIS – As Franciscan St. Francis Health moves forward with plans to consolidate inpatient operations from its Beech Grove to Indianapolis campus, the hospital’s Emergency Services will ensure a continuum of care to patients.

At 7 a.m., Monday, March 12, the Beech Grove Emergency Department (ED) at 1600 Albany St. will begin transitioning its services to the hospital’s Indianapolis facility at 8111 S. Emerson Ave. The Beech Grove ED will remain open to treat walk-in patients.

At 7 a.m., Friday, March 16, the Beech Grove ED will shut down entirely, after all its operations are fully integrated at the Indianapolis hospital.

“Local Emergency Medical Services organizations, ambulance services and other relevant medical groups and practices were notified of these changes earlier in the year,” said India Owens, director of Emergency Services. “Every effort is being undertaken to ensure the safety of all patients seeking care in our emergency departments.”

Beech Grove area residents with minor ailments also have the option of seeking treatment at St. Francis Medical Group After-Hours Clinic at 2030 Churchman Ave. Patients also can seek treatment at the After-Hours Clinic at 7855 S. Emerson Ave., Suite P.

Embracing the future of health care

The change in ED operations coincides with the centralization of Franciscan St. Francis’ Beech Grove inpatient care, other clinical programs and administrative support services to the Indianapolis hospital – just seven miles from Beech Grove. The implementation of the initiative, which was years in planning, began in 2007 when the hospital announced a $300 million expansion of its Indianapolis medical center.

With growing patient demand for services on the city’s far south side and landlocked from further growth in Beech Grove since the late 1980s, the hospital embarked to add 221 new inpatient beds to its existing 234 beds and to construct and renovate other clinical and non-clinical units.

“This initiative was undertaken with great deliberation and planning,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer for Franciscan St. Francis. “Combining the two hospitals under one roof enables us to perform more efficiently, achieve cost-savings, eliminate duplication of services and further enhance the level of care our patients expect and deserve.”

Continued growth of the Indianapolis hospital has been commensurate with an ever-increasing need for services since the facility first opened in 1995. With the addition of more complex and advanced services and technology, Franciscan St. Francis attracts those located nearby as well as those who come from throughout the region. The campus’ geographic location – located near two Interstate 65 exits – makes it easily accessible and centrally located to more patients.

The consolidation of inpatient services was driven by another key factor.

“For nearly a decade, more than 90 percent of the care delivered at Beech Grove has been performed on an outpatient basis,” said Keith Jewell, senior vice president and chief operating officer, who has overseen the consolidation project. “This, combined with the myriad of other challenges, helps us to adapt accordingly to the ever-changing nature of health care in our area and proactively respond to national health care initiatives as they progress.”

And the two-phase project hasn’t been without challenges. As the national recession deepened in spring 2009, the hospital was forced to delay construction. But within months – and well ahead of other local hospitals’ whose building projects had been put on hold – the project resumed and continued at a steady pace.

In April 2011, Phase I came to fruition when the Franciscan St. Francis opened a new and larger emergency department, Wound Care Institute, new surgical suites, nursing administration and other new features to the six-story tower. Over the last several months, other clinical and administrative support units have migrated to the new facility, most notably with the opening of the new Franciscan St. Francis Cancer Center, which was dedicated Feb. 9.

Now the sights are set on mid-March and beyond.

“Our plans are solid and we’re adapting when changes are needed.” Jewell said. “We have worked closely with our managers, departments and units and they have provided tremendous support throughout the entire process.”

And for good reason: Moving a hospital – if only seven miles – requires a precise, intricate choreography.

Beech Grove: Foundation of healing

Founded in Beech Grove in 1914 by the Order of Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, St.FrancisHospital boasted 75 patient beds, two operating rooms and the latest in modern technology when it opened.

“We were invited to establish a health-care ministry in Beech Grove and with the help of local Catholic clergy found a location,” said Sister Marlene Shapley, vice president of mission services. “The hospital was founded on our fundamental belief that human needs should be met in a holistic manner.”

For many years, the St. Francis Health officials have worked diligently with Beech Grove elected officials, civic leaders and homeowners to determine the best possible reuses of the facilities and acreage. The hospital is also working with a national broker to market the campus to potential buyers.

Although inpatient and other services will move southward, the Sisters’ commitment to Beech Grove remains intact. Outpatient laboratory, physical therapy and radiology services will remain open at 1600 Albany St. at least through the fall.

Plans also call for the relocation of other clinical services within the Beech Grove community. Security will remain intact throughout the campus.

Additionally, the build-out on a new Franciscan St. Francis Health Immediate Care Center at Thompson Commons at 5210 E. Thompson Road in April, provides Beech Grove residents with another option in health care.

“For nearly a century, we have been a part of the Beech Grove and that community has been an important part of our family – and always shall be,” said Sister Marlene.